Insights lane
California writes more employment law than any other state, and most of it lands on companies too small to have a legal department. These articles explain what the rules require, where they go quiet, and when it is time to call an employment attorney.
November 11, 2026
One folder per employee feels tidy until someone asks to see it. Split records into six files so a personnel file request, a medical note and an I-9 inspection never collide. What…
November 6, 2026
SB 1444 makes a small wording change to California's willful misclassification penalty law. What it changes, what was already law, the ABC test in plain English, and a seven-question self-check with a…
November 6, 2026
SB 1149 lets an employee name a designated person for bereavement leave starting in 2027. Who counts, how the designation works, the employer option to limit it to one person per 12…
November 6, 2026
AB 2150 adds a paid naloxone video module for employers that require CPR certification. Who is covered, what the module must teach, when your current CPR course already counts, and a five-step…
November 4, 2026
California presumes a worker is an employee unless the hiring business proves three things. A worker-by-worker method for testing each prong, the business-to-business exceptions, and the penalties for willful misclassification.
November 4, 2026
When an employee leaves or is let go in California, the deadlines start immediately. A checklist for final pay, vested vacation, the written notice, release agreements, layoff notices and the records to…
November 4, 2026
A complaint arrives and the clock starts. Seven steps for a small California employer: intake, interim protection, a plan, interviews, evidence, findings and follow-up, with the records rules that sit behind each…
November 4, 2026
SB 951 adds new content to California layoff notices when AI or automation causes the layoff. What the notice must say, what it does not change, what employees should check on it,…
November 4, 2026
SB 947 takes effect July 1, 2027. If software drove your discipline or termination, here is what the employer must do, what you can request in writing, what to save and who…
November 4, 2026
AB 692, as amended by AB 1697, limits repayment agreements for contracts signed on or after January 1, 2027. What stays banned, which bonus, PTO and tuition exceptions survive, the penalty, and…
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